Method of forming a pressed-sheet-metal article.



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METHOD or mama A emzssw smsn mam ARTICLE. 7 APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, i916.

1,249,825. A Patented Dec.11,1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALDEN L. PUTNAM, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T DETROIT PRES SED STEEL COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN" METHOD OF FORMING A PRESSED-SHEET-METAL ARTICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11,1917.

Application filed January 31, 1916. Serial No. 75,365.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ALDEN afcitizeii of the United States of America,

residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Forming a Pressed-Sheet-Metal Article, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to the manufacture of articles from pressed sheet metal, and it I, is the primary object of the invention to obtain an advantageous distribution of the metal with a variation of the thickness or gage of different portions corresponding to the stresses to which they are subjected. In the present state of the art a great variety of shapes have been pressed from fiat sheet metal blanks and the gageor thickness of the metal in the ditferent portions is in- 1 or thickness and in then pressing the blank to the desired form.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan View of the blank; Fig. 2 is a cross section thereof; Fig".- 3 is a perspective view of the pressed blank;

Fig. 4 isv an elevation of a connecting rod formed of. complementary pressed sections; Figs. 5 and 6 are longitudinal sections thereof in planes atright angles to each other; and i Fig. 7 is a cross section on line ww Fig. 5.

Tn carrying out my invention th article to be pressed is first designed with the'proper variation in the thickness of the metal in difi'erent portions to secure the greatest strength. The flat blank is then designed with a varying thickness or gage such as to produce the. desired distribution when pressed to the proper form. The blank so designed may be formed by any suitable process. such as rolling or pressing, but preferably by e rolling process. To form the specific article illustrated in the drawings a blank is required in which the opposite end portions re of greater thickncss than the central portion, the metal being tapered from the thicker to the thinner portion so as to avoid any points of abrupt change. As shown in Fig. 1, the blank A which may be formed by rolling has a central portion B of relatively light gage, an edge portion C of heavier gage and an opposite edge por tion D of still heavier gage, while intermediate tapering portions E and F unite the portions C and D, respectively to the por tion B. From this blank, which may be rolled in a continuous strip the individual blanks for forming connecting rods are cut,

of metal, but is also greatly increased in strength per unit of weight, and the fact that the metal may be reinforced in gage where necessary dispenses with the necessity of complex die work and pressing-operations.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The method of forming pressed sheetmetal articles, comprising the forming of a Subst ntially fiat blank of varying gage in different portions thereof having predetermined relation to each other, and die-press iug the blank to re-fashion and redistribute the metal thereof. 7

2. The method of forming pressed sheetmetal articles. comprising the varying of the gage of asnbstantially flat blank to distributethe metal thereof with reference to a refashioned form, and die-pressing the blank to refashi0n and re-distribute the metal thereof.

.3. The method of forming pressed sheetmetal articles. comprising the varying of the gage in a continuous blank to form portions of different thickness connected by intermediate tapering portions, and die-pressing the blank to r'e-fashion and re-distribute the metal articles, comprising the rolling of a continuous sheet to distribute the metal and vary the gage in different portions thereof, and the die-pressing of articles from said blank to re-fashion and re-distribute the metal thereof. I

5. The method of forming pressed sheetmetal articles, comprising the varying of the gage in different portions of a continuous sheet-metal strip, cutting blanks from said strip, and diepressing the same to re fashion and re-distribnte the metal thereof. 6'. The method of forming onnecting rods, comprising the rolling of a blank with end portions of greater thickness than the intermediate port-ion and die-pressing said blank to form the heads or bearings of the-rod from the thicker end portions and the shank of the rod from the thinner intermediate portion.

7. The method of forming connecting rods, comprising the rolling of a blank with end portions of greater thickness than the intermediate portion and with tapering portions connecting said end and intermediate portions, and dic pressing said blank to form the bearings or heads of the rod from the thicker portions, the rod proper or shank from the thinner intermediate portion and the ends of said shank which join the heads from the tapering portion.

In testimony whereof I aiiix mv signatnre.

ALDEN L. PUTNAM. 

